If it seems like a flurry of book reviews are hitting, you’re right. A lot of books I’ve been working through have reached their end, and at least one more is on the cusp of being finished. So bear with me, I’ll try to slow down on my reading while I get through the burst of reviews.

Title: Praying Through the Bible For Your Kids

Author: Nancy Guthrie

Published by: Tyndale Momentum (10/15/2016)

Pages: 400 (Paperback)

Blurb: Daily encouragement for parents who realize the things they want most for their kids are things only God can do . . . so they pray.As parents we want to protect our children; we want them to move forward in life; most importantly, we want them to take hold of and grow in Christ. And while the advice offered by parenting experts can be helpful, at some point we realize there are no simplistic formulas or sure-fire methods. We need wisdom from God’s Word for this all-important task.

In The One Year Praying through the Bible for Your Kids, trusted author Nancy Guthrie weaves together wisdom and insight from each day’s reading in The One Year Bible, providing encouragement through the triumphs and turbulence of parenting. Day by day you’ll find your dreams and desires for your children are becoming shaped more by Scripture than by the culture around you. Worry less, pray more, and help yourself to a daily dose of perspective, hope, and grace as you parent.

My Take: I love diving into this book as part of my daily walk with God. It is the first thing I do, opening with the verse for the day, the short devotional based upon that passage, and then the short prayer for my child (and, sometimes, myself). The commitment to do this takes only a minute or two, yet I feel overjoyed to know that I am praying over areas of my son’s life that I might not have considered praying about yet (especially with him being so young still). I know the power that a praying parent can have in shaping the character and personality of a child, and I am thankful to have this book to keep me motivated and on-track with this area.

I also appreciate how the book doesn’t jump around from book to book, picking a verse at random to apply to a certain day. Every devotion that I have done so far, dating back to the end of October, has all come from verses in the book of Hebrews. This encouraged me to dive into that same book with my own study time in the mornings, an added benefit to steeping daily in the same book of the Bible.

Regardless of the age of your children, and even for those whose children are yet to come, this can be an excellent addition to your daily devotional time. It could potentially be a devotional to do as a family, although I think it would be better suited to do either individually or as a couple. This is a wonderful resource to have and will continue to bless me and my family for many years to come.